Stop it!

“I’m going to say two words to you right now. I want you to listen to them very, very carefully. Then I want you to take them out of the office with you and incorporate them into your life.

Here they are: Stop it!”

Bob Newhart as therapist Dr. Switzer

So I told you that I had make an appointment with my therapist after a six month gap. It wasn’t that I was struggling – more I wanted to know how I was doing. And that I was still spending time thinking about ‘what if I’, ‘why didn’t I”, “It’s not fair’, ‘Maybe I made the wrong choices’ and that sort of thing. My thoughts on a loop. Much better now without wine – and much better with the passing of time. But still present.

My therapist is a very wise and funny person. They said you have this free time now you are not drinking (Wrote about that here). You are filling it with this thinking. It is time to fill it differently.

And they said to ‘Stop It!’ every time I started those thoughts – jolting myself back to this moment. And my therapist then went on to explain a very funny Bob Newhart skit where Bob offers a different brand of therapy. A brief – 5 minutes – therapy called “Stop It!”.

My therapist meant this in a loving humorous way, and we had a good laugh. But boy was there a nugget of truth in there.

STOP IT is handy for us former wine drinkin’ over thinkin’ types … Every time you start your well-worn wine path, show some tough love with this new you. Say stop it! when you find yourself filling time with the past. Banish the old stories and fears to the bin with a stop it! I’ve said it out loud to myself when I’m alone in the car. I find it works.

Bob is absolutely a national treasure – and a very funny man. If you have 6 minutes, you’ll probably enjoy watching the Stop It! skit.

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Published by bumpyyear

As Margo Channing said in All About Eve, "Fasten your seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy night”
January 1, 2018, I set down my cocktail (wine is my self-medicating choice) — this time once and for all.
This means I have made it through 365 days sober!
But the journey doesn't stop here...
I am fastening my seatbelt for another bumpy year ahead. All *second* 365 days will be sober and full of gratitude. That's the plan - even knowing some of the bumps ahead, such as the 'Wine Witch', the 'Wall' and Wine O'Clock.
View all posts by bumpyyear